Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has anything even remotely to do
with the Ronin Warriors, although I wish I did. Anything that is original,
like the girls, are mine. Blah.
Chapter 1 By: Soulful Gray
Robyn stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom, silently naming off the constellations she had stuck there with plastic stars.
Orion, the Winter W, Big Dipper... On and on she went, searching out all her glowing favorites, and wondering faintly what her two best friends were doing at the moment. Katrin was more than likely staring at the big silver moon painted on her ceiling, and Lindsey was probably contemplating whether or not she should add more rays to her happy sun-face.
She chuckled a bit and repositioned her body on the mattress so she could have a better view of a different section of her ceiling, which was sectioned off by thick, rough-hewn wooden beams. The square patch she was looking at now only held a few stars and weren't positioned in any known pattern.
She'd found a package of differently colored stars at a yard sale and had purchased them immediately. Red, dark blue, light blue, orange and green stars formed a five point circle on the outside, and inside there were four more stars of maroon, maroon and black, navy and black, and green and black. The inner stars had just been regular stars, but she'd painted them with glow in the dark paint and mixed the colors. And just because she loved having even numbers, she had stuck a single white star in the middle.
The names of these stars she said out loud. "Wildfire, Strata, Torrent, Hardrock, Halo..." Around and around the two circle she went, constantly repeating their names. She was just about to zone out, when the phone rang and she snapped out of it.
Reaching over, annoyed, she grabbed the cordless on her bed and hit talk. "Lindsey, what have I told you-"
"Would you stop spouting them off for Pete's sake?! I could have heard you on the other side of the world!"
"I was about to go in my zone and you ruined it! You know I'm better rested when I'm in my zone and I've got to be rested for tomorrow. So do you for that matter." Robyn's voice was a calm alto, and it was a little husky from nearly zoning as she put it.
"Listen, I know you meditate better when you've repeated their damned names about a million times, but Katrin and I need sleep, too. Could you at least keep up a wall or something so we don't have to hear your bloody chanting?" Lindsey's voice was soft when she wasn't annoyed, and a bit high-pitched when she was; in the blink of an eye it had switched from the second to the first.
"I'm sorry Lindsey," Robyn said crossly. "But you know I'm not good at walls. I have to concentrate too hard, and I can't concentrate on anything when I'm zoning. My brick and mortar is low in supply, and the mason called in sick."
"Okay, smart ass. But at least keep the chant non-verbal." Lindsey pleaded. "That helps a little. We need rest for tomorrow, too."
"Okay, already!" Robyn said, a bit exasperated, but smiling anyway. "What if I chanted something else? You know I could always conjugate verbs in Spanish, 'cause you know that could put me-" Click.
"Ha," she said into the mouthpiece, grinning.
Moments later, she began conjugating...
"Voy, va, vas, vamos, van." The phone rang and she chuckled.
The next morning, Robyn piled herself and her luggage into her cute little Pontiac, kept a map handy on the console, and began her little road trip.
Summer had begun, and Robyn was heading back home. Her first year of college had gone off without a hitch, and she was ready to skedaddle for a while. She was only going home for three weeks, so she could see her family and friends again, and then she would go back to California so she could start working for a small graphic arts company.
It was too expensive to fly, plus she hated planes, so Robyn was driving from Cali. to Illinois, not that hard of a trip, really, and she knew the way rather well. It would take a few days, but while she went she was going to do a little sight-seeing. She was going to pick up Lindsey and Katrin, and they were going for a little summer trip. Where, she didn't know, but they had been planning for a while, and she would see them today.
Basically, the only plans they had so far consisted of getting together and running around helter-skelter, going places they hadn't been yet. They'd even thought of going out of the country on a spur of the moment; it'd be hell getting tickets, but knowing Katrin, they could get tickets anywhere in the blink of an eye.
Katrin's family was filthy-stinking rich, so any funds they needed were taken care of, and she had a lot of prominent connections; so with the snap of her slender fingers, they'd be flying first-class anywhere they wished. Katrin, having been brought up with many of the finer things in life, was pampered and sometimes a bit snobbish, but she was also a kind and gentle girl. She was pretty cautious, although she followed Robyn and Lindsey's grand schemes without complaint, usually having the best time of them all.
Lindsey had popped up out of nowhere in Katrin's life, attending the same all-girl school and turning the place into a madhouse. She'd moved from some obscure town in Ohio, and shot into town with a wild-streak the length of the Mississippi River. She had only attended Katrin's school on a special invitation, and nearly got kicked out until Katrin's family stepped in and offered to pay for her schooling. Lindsey's wild streak had cooled as the two teenagers became friends.
Robyn's life was a little more ordinary, aside from a few special things. She was a bit older than both of them, went to a public school all her life, and met Katrin and Lindsey by chance in a Suncoast store. She'd been going through some of her favorite titles of anime, when she'd knocked over a slight girl with long black hair.
Immediately apologizing, she helped the girl up and they began discussing favorites in the beloved genre of anime.
"Name's Robyn," she said, grinning ear to ear.
"I'm Katrin." Katrin's voice had been polite, and kind of formal. "It's a pleasure."
Moments letter, a tall, slender redhead had popped up and begun dragging Robyn out of the store, excited over something she'd found in another store.
Then, the redhead had stopped and turned around to stare Robyn in the eyes. Katrin must have noticed something too, because she was giving off the same intent aura. Robyn had smiled knowingly and walked out of the store, knowing they would follow.
In the food court, she selected a secluded booth, and sat down. They sat down across from her, puzzled expressions crossing their faces.
"You feel it too, eh?" Robyn asked as she leaned back. "I know it feels weird. It always does when you realize the feeling's there. I'm Robyn."
"Lindsey. What feeling?" Lindsey's eyes, which were a clear blue, were narrowed a bit in distrust.
"The feeling of completion, of a circle formed," Robyn, who was a blonde, said cryptically. "Nothing is accidental. Our meeting was meant to be." As if to prove her point, she lay down a card that had appeared in her hand. It wasn't a tarot card or anything. It had a field of black surrounded by twisted green Celtic knots.
"What are you, a witch?" Lindsey asked skeptically.
"No. I wouldn't say that. The term witch sounds so... cruel- outdated if you will."
Katrin picked up the card and stared at the black field of the card. "What's this supposed to mean?" She cried out as she felt a definite jolt of something, power, course through her and she dropped the card back down. It was smoking a little.
"It means that everything is right." Robyn smiled.
Amazed by the card, Lindsey had picked it up as well, as if spellbound, and received the same jolt. She too dropped it, and it lay smoldering on the table. The Celtic knots glowed a bright green before fading softly as Robyn picked it up and banished it from sight.
"Does it feel right to you?" she asked softly, her gray eyes twinkling with mischief. "Do you feel as though we are complete?"
They had, and the instant friendship amazed the two skeptics, who couldn't seem to get enough of powers newfound.
Katrin was discovered to be quite handy at conjuring, and she carried around a special little bag she had charmed herself, a bag that, on command, would give her anything she asked for. It had taken a long time to make the bag, as it was woven from fine shreds of silken material, and each little weave was done with a blessing to produce the desired effect. She could conjure many things, and as she called forth this special power, her brown eyes would blacken to pitch, and sparkle as though stars were inlaid in their depths.
Lindsey was good with charms and potions, and had a cute little travel pack she carried around. It was a small case that contained a hundred little corked bottles of different ingredients and some ready-to-use potions for emergencies. Her potions really didn't require any magic, but her magic was the knowledge of mixing the ingredients. She had a huge store of ingredients at Katrin's mansion, where they were well-hidden in a secret room. Lindsey's charms were quite efficient, all three girls having quite a few of them.
Robyn, as their teacher, knew how to do a fair amount of many things. But she was especially efficient when it came to the elements and foresight. Her connections with fire, water, earth, air, and life made her quite a dangerous little sorceress, as she was able to bring the five up at will. And her foresight was dangerous as well; she couldn't stand seeing the future, so she stored all that power in one of three cards, like the one she had set down before Katrin and Lindsey. She meditated frequently, or as she put it, she zoned and her telepathy, though one-way, was strong with her two friends.
They weren't Wicca, although they did fully support that religious group. No, they were something entirely different, something that did not require a name. Neither did it require any sorts of prayers or spells to really bring about their power. Their magic did not require words, but feelings inside, innate beauties that gave them a connection. Though they did use potions and charms, the powers of said objects were brought forth through their innate power.
Robyn drove and drove, singing along with the radio, and finally hit a small town called Stockton about noon. She, Lindsey, and Katrin were meeting in a smaller town near it called Sutter Creek. They would tour the shops for a while and then head out. She drove on through the winding streets, hit country, and then finally came upon the tourist town.
She saw the two girls' rental car immediately, sensing their presence as she drove past and angled into a parking spot. She saw Lindsey's familiar red head through a small crowd that had gathered at a shop window.
"Lin!" she called out as she pulled her stiff body from the driver's seat. She was tackled in a hug when she stepped onto the sidewalk. "Oof!" she cried as two sets of arm wound around her waist and she grinned as she hugged her "sisters" back.
"Robyn, you've got to come see this! I just know you're going to love it!" Katrin squealed and began dragging the blonde to the crowded window.
"Not that you're not obsessed already, and you really don't need to see this, we figured you'd find out sooner or later anyway," Lin said dryly as she jogged to keep up. Katrin sawed the crown in half and practically threw Robyn, or Robyn as she liked to call her, against the window.
"What are you- OOH!" Robyn squealed as she took in the sight of a beautiful sword resting peacefully against green silk. "It looks like Sage's no- datchi from Ronin Warriors!" Her gray eyes were huge as she took in the details. "It looks exactly like it..." She whipped around and jumped towards the door, but the big glaring, CLOSED sign meanly turned her away. "Opens at 1:00. Oooooh!! We have to go in when it opens!"
"Yep, we figured you'd act that way," Katrin said, rolling her eyes. "We shouldn't have showed it to her, Lin."
"Yeah, I know," Lin said, "But you know she would have seen it regardless."
Robyn was talking to some of the other on-lookers.
"Yeah, I've been waiting and waiting for this sword to come in," one guy told her. "It's supposed to be practically ancient and worth a fortune. This guy is selling it real cheap, I heard, and I'd give my life to buy it." He attempted a charming smile on Robyn. "I'm and avid collector, myself. I have hundreds of antique swords. Maybe I could show you my collection sometime." He waggled an eyebrow at her, not seeming to realize she was now completely ignoring her.
"If the guy's smart, he'll only sell to someone worthy," Robyn said cryptically to her sisters. "I have-"
"- a feeling?" the two girls finished simultaneously.
"Exactly!" Robyn said, grinning.
"You always have a feeling where that show's concerned," Lin said, rolling her eyes.
"I can't see how you can stand that show," Katrin said, in a bit of an uppity voice. "It's so old! It's boring!"
"Hey! You don't hear me slamming Yu-Gi-Oh or Yu-Yu What's-it's-oh, do ya?" Robyn said huffily, crossing her arms over her chest.
"That's because you like those shows!" Katrin cried.
"Oh... yeah..."
If there was one rift between the sisters it was this. Normally they had no problem liking one another's taste in anime, but when it came to Ronin Warriors, they just could not understand why Robyn was so obsessed with the show. Robyn always said it was because she had a taste for classics. And they always retorted that Ronin Warriors wasn't a classic, it was a trash- ic.
"Well, you can at least admit that the guys in it are hot, can't you?" she pleaded.
"We'll give you that," Lin grudgingly replied.
"And their weapons are cool."
"Kinda," Lin agreed again.
"And the white tiger is pretty," Robyn said as a clincher, playing on Katrin's weak spot, which was anything considering white tigers.
"Now that's a reason!" the brunette said with finality.
"So it means we can go in and attempt to wheedle a deal with the shop- keeper?"
"We didn't say that!" the two younger girls cried in unison, marching away.
"PLEASE!" she squeaked, bursting into a load of crocodile tears, ones even her sisters couldn't ignore. They turned back to her, and groaning, gave into the inevitable, not wanting to cause a scene. Though she was the oldest, Robyn was quite bratty, and knew when and what buttons to push. She was a constant manipulator and quite a schemer, and had an insane sense of humor, overlying a seriousness few people saw.
"Okay! Okay! Cut it out already!" Lin said, and leaned against the wall of the collectors' store. "We'll go in."
"Thank you!" Robyn grinned and hugged both her sisters, then began to impatiently wait for the door to open. They only had a few more minutes, and quite a few people had been drawn into the crowd. They were all there for the sword; some were dressed in suits, obviously dealers in antiques, and others were obviously just wanting to get a glimpse of the sword. Robyn, wanting to know of the sword's importance to them, pumped for information.
She got the best information from a very expensively dressed woman, who radiated elegance and a business-head.
"It was originally in Japan, owned by the store owner's family," she said evenly, eyeing Robyn's exuberance with a kind of detached exuberance. Silly girl, she thought. "It came over the market's eyes by chance, when the owner decided to sell it. There is no other sword like it, and has only been known to my company and many others for a short while." Her cool eyes swept over Robyn's casual jeans and t-shirt. "You're not planning on dibbing on it, are you?"
"I was thinking on it."
"Silly of you to think it really. My company will get the sword. We'll offer any price he asks, and can easily top any price any of these people can offer," she elegantly motioned towards the crowd.
"Really," Robyn said, as though awed. "Happy bidding then," she said with a fake cheerfulness. Annoyed, she stepped back to her friends and relayed the info.
"She's snobbier than you, Trina," she muttered. Katrin took this as a compliment, since she hated being referred to as a snob, and whipped out her credit card.
"In that case, I'll just have to buy that sword! See how high she can really go," Katrin said, waving around the card that flashed off her family's company name.
"I don't think that will be necessary," Robyn said, her eyes glazing over a bit as she stared at a card that she had conjured. "We don't have to go as high as you think. The shop-keeper is quite wise."
The card she was looking at showed her the current thoughts and feelings of whomever she wished. It was one of her innate powers she had stored in the cards so she could control them. It showed a field of black and twisted Celtic knots, but the knots on this one were red. The knots of green on the card she used before Lin and Katrin stored her power of foresight, and a third card, with blue, would show her a person's past.
"He will sell to the one who deserves the sword, for even the smallest amount of money," she said softly, pocketing the card.
"Did you see who it was?" Lin asked, curious. "No, since I did not call the Green."
Feeling silly that she had not thought of that, Lin continued. "Hopefully it's you. You'd worship that thing as a Wicca would the Goddess."
"Even still," Robyn said, "I do not know that it will be me. I would like to touch to sword so I know its intent. I believe the keeper is going by the sword's wishes."
"Robyn, it's a sword," Katrin reminded her gently. "Not a living, breathing thing."
"You have doubt?" Robyn asked, raising an eyebrow in humor. "This coming from you, of all people? Should I cast you as a hypocrite?"
"Stuff it, Bird," Katrin grumbled, silently taking Robyn's point.
Finally the sign was flipped over, and the shop keeper, a well aged old man, obviously a native Japanese, opened the door to let in the would-be patrons of his store. He bowed to each and every one of them as they passed, although Robyn, Katrin, and Lin were the only to return the respects.
"Welcome to my store," he said in his kind old voice, straightening from his bow the same time the girls. "I assume that you, as are all my guests, are here to see the sword?"
"Yes sir," Robyn said, smiling. "If only to touch it, at least. Just that much would make me pleased as punch."
He laughed and led them to the window display, where everybody was crammed.
"Follow me then. I can grant that simple wish to beautiful young girls." Like the Red Sea did for Moses, the crowed parted and allowed him to step to the window. He lifted the sword from its stand and carefully carried it to the three girls. It amazed him that he accomplished such a thing, since the sword was almost as long as he was tall. He bowed as he held it before Robyn, who reached forward to run her hands along the blade.
The instant her finger tips grazed the blade, her gray eyes lightened and she smiled politely as he straightened once again. He gazed into her eyes for a moment and offered the same honor to Lin and Katrin. Fascinated, the girls took the chance. They just smiled a bit, not having the amazing vision their teacher and sister possessed.
"I believe the sword is yours, young friend," he said to Robyn, and bowed once more, offering the huge sword up to her. Awed with the honor, she bowed and took up the sword, gazing at it with the affection a mother would show a child.
"What?!" the other patrons cried in anger and disbelief as they surged forward to surround them. Robyn, ever confident and not fearing a mob in the least, simply held the sword in reverent hands and carried her chin high, daring them to question the old man's choice for a buyer.
The angry group raged against the old mans decision for a full twenty minutes before he threatened to call the police.
"By law, he stated firmly, I own that sword, and I will give it to whomever I please at whatever price I wish. Is it not in my rights to choose whom the sword goes to? money is not an issue. Now I ask that you leave my store and do not question my decision." Robyn, smirking, sent out a small shockwave of her mental power and ordered, rather loudly, for them to leave, the order echoing through their heads as they were pushed from the shop.
"Now that this mess is taken care of, I would have a word with you girls in my back room. Follow me."
In his office, he lit some incense and proceeded to tell them of the sword's history.
"It came to my family quite abruptly," he said in his slow time-beaten way. "Many years ago, it appeared to my ancestor, who took it up, but he was never allowed to use it against anyone. The sword would not permit it."
Robyn caressed the hilt with awe as she listened.
"The soul of the sword did not wish to be used by any hand but its own master's. It spoke to my ancestor, and told him that he must help the sword return to its master, across worlds. It told him that his family would one day find the person who could travel across worlds.
"You can never use it, but the sword has chosen you. It spoke to you when you touched it, didn't it. It showed you the other world."
"Yes," Robyn said softly.
"And because you are that person, I will not charge you for this sword. There is no price, but honor and respect, that can cover this cost of this sword." He cast his gaze on Katrin and Lin. "And you two. You will go with her. A circle should not be broken."
"Why did the sword choose me?" Robyn asked after they had absorbed this for a moment.
"I do not know that. Maybe it is the power you three hold, or maybe it is for an entirely different reason than that. However, it was meant to be. There are no accidents." He stood from his desk and retreated into the main room of the shop.
They followed slowly and allowed the man to wrap the sword in silk and tissue paper, and then he slid it into a giant case.
"Feel free to look around. I am still a business man, and I can never pass up the possibility of a sale," he said humorously as he packaged the sword.
Laughing brightly, Robyn drug Lin and Katrin around the shelves of merchandise.
"You knew, didn't you?" Lin accused.
"No, actually I didn't," Robyn said softly as she peered into a display of ornate pendants.
"Not even a feeling?" Katrin said snidely. "Yeah right. You got a vibe, didn't you. And that stuff about another world. It's true, isn't it." It was a statement, not a question, but Robyn nodded anyway.
"Yes. I felt the sword's soul when I touched it. 'Sides my obsession with the Ronin Warriors, I just had to touch the sword."
"What did you see in the other world?" Lin asked as she picked up a small dagger.
"Not much, really. A field of grass, heavy clouds, strong wind. Nothing that rings a bell to me." She selected a beautiful jade pendant, one carved to look like a koi-fish, and grinned at its happy face.
"So it's not a stupid Ronin setting," Katrin said. "Good. Then it's similarity to whaz-is-face's sword just coincidental, and we're not going to get stuck in that world."
Robyn made a face and picked up the little box that went with the goldfish and decided to buy it. "Unfortunately, we won't. I think it would be cool. But it's just a series, after all." She looked sad as she moved through the rest of the store.
They went to the cash register and paid for their things. Lin bought the small dagger she had eyed earlier, Katrin bought a lovely jeweled comb, and Robyn got the koifish pendant. Robyn picked up the case that held the sword and bade the old man a fond farewell and put a charm of blessings on his store.
"The sword will protect you," the old man said softly. "In the hands of its master, it will watch over you three. Its master's companions will do the same. Be wary of the evils you will face." They had just stepped out the door when he whispered this to them, and they barely caught it.
Evils? What had he meant by that? They assumed they would go to the other world, return the sword and be done with it. What evils had he spoken of?
"That was kind of freaky, you have to admit," Lin said. "Normally I would be like 'Hoo-rah! Yes! Adventure!' I don't know about this. It seems..."
"Foreboding?" Katrin suggested as they piled their stuff into the trunk of Robyn's Pontiac.
"Yeah, I was kind of surprised at you, Lin. I'd have thought your wild streak would be screaming for this chance at adventure," Robyn said, still grinning. She seemed a bit impervious to the serious nature of the situation. But Lin's wild side had calmed a bit more than anyone realized. She was still reckless, but the feeling of real danger ahead was chilling her to the bone.
"I'm surprised you don't feel the same as I do, oh wise teacher," Lin said somewhat sarcastically. They were transferring baggage from Lin's rental to Robyn's Pontiac in preparation for their journey. The rental company would pick their car up where it was, so they weren't worried about it.
"And we really need time to prepare to travel there," Katrin said timidly. "We need to meditate and cleanse and-"
"And knowing our luck," Lin interrupted, "though good, we won't have time to do that. All I want to know is when this is going to happen."
"I can't tell you that," Robyn said as she climbed into the car. Lin sat in the passenger seat, and Katrin was in back.
"Why don't you look then?" Lin whined impatiently.
"And ruin the thought of a surprise?! No way!" Laughing, Robyn started the engine and pulled out of her parking spot.
It never occurred to them that they had not stopped at any of the other shops as planned, nor had they given them any thought once they were in the old man's store. It seemed as though only one purpose had been evident to them.
And as they drove along, it never occurred to them that things would happen sooner than planned. Heck, even when they were sucked into a sudden void, it barely registered in their minds as the car was pulled through a sort of black tunnel.
A scream let loose from Katrin's lips as they came to a sudden screeching halt in a field of grass, and dirt and plant-life burst from under the tires as Robyn hit the brakes. The sky on the horizon was dark and ominous, and a strong gust of wind practically rattled the windows of the car. Their hearts raced and their breaths came in short, fast spurts as they clung to the edges of their seats.
"That was fun," Robyn said to lighten the mood, resulting in a bruise on her shoulder, courtesy of Lin's fist. Rubbing her shoulder, she glanced up into her mirror, and her eyes widened a bit. "You know chiquitas, it could be worse. We could be surrounded by a bunch of nether soldiers who look like Wizard of Oz rejects."
"Robyn, stop with the Ronin references!" Lin yelled. Her face was reddening to a curious shade of red.
"Well, since it's not worse, and you definitely won't even come close to liking the better scenario, I'll just not say anything, and let the better scenario fold out."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Lin snapped and turned around to get a look at the better scenario Robyn was rambling on about, and her face whitened.
Rather than Wizard of Oz rejects, they were surrounded by a veritable rainbow of men dressed in curiously fashioned armors.
"This has to be hell."
"For you!" Robyn squealed in delight.
As you can see, I didn't get very in depth in any of the characters' emotions. I plan to change that in future chapters, but this chapter isn't really about the introduction of characters' thoughts. Anywho, I hoped you enjoyed this and I would love it if you reviewed? Pretty, pretty please? With whipped cream and a cherry on top?
Soulful Gray
Chapter 1 By: Soulful Gray
Robyn stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom, silently naming off the constellations she had stuck there with plastic stars.
Orion, the Winter W, Big Dipper... On and on she went, searching out all her glowing favorites, and wondering faintly what her two best friends were doing at the moment. Katrin was more than likely staring at the big silver moon painted on her ceiling, and Lindsey was probably contemplating whether or not she should add more rays to her happy sun-face.
She chuckled a bit and repositioned her body on the mattress so she could have a better view of a different section of her ceiling, which was sectioned off by thick, rough-hewn wooden beams. The square patch she was looking at now only held a few stars and weren't positioned in any known pattern.
She'd found a package of differently colored stars at a yard sale and had purchased them immediately. Red, dark blue, light blue, orange and green stars formed a five point circle on the outside, and inside there were four more stars of maroon, maroon and black, navy and black, and green and black. The inner stars had just been regular stars, but she'd painted them with glow in the dark paint and mixed the colors. And just because she loved having even numbers, she had stuck a single white star in the middle.
The names of these stars she said out loud. "Wildfire, Strata, Torrent, Hardrock, Halo..." Around and around the two circle she went, constantly repeating their names. She was just about to zone out, when the phone rang and she snapped out of it.
Reaching over, annoyed, she grabbed the cordless on her bed and hit talk. "Lindsey, what have I told you-"
"Would you stop spouting them off for Pete's sake?! I could have heard you on the other side of the world!"
"I was about to go in my zone and you ruined it! You know I'm better rested when I'm in my zone and I've got to be rested for tomorrow. So do you for that matter." Robyn's voice was a calm alto, and it was a little husky from nearly zoning as she put it.
"Listen, I know you meditate better when you've repeated their damned names about a million times, but Katrin and I need sleep, too. Could you at least keep up a wall or something so we don't have to hear your bloody chanting?" Lindsey's voice was soft when she wasn't annoyed, and a bit high-pitched when she was; in the blink of an eye it had switched from the second to the first.
"I'm sorry Lindsey," Robyn said crossly. "But you know I'm not good at walls. I have to concentrate too hard, and I can't concentrate on anything when I'm zoning. My brick and mortar is low in supply, and the mason called in sick."
"Okay, smart ass. But at least keep the chant non-verbal." Lindsey pleaded. "That helps a little. We need rest for tomorrow, too."
"Okay, already!" Robyn said, a bit exasperated, but smiling anyway. "What if I chanted something else? You know I could always conjugate verbs in Spanish, 'cause you know that could put me-" Click.
"Ha," she said into the mouthpiece, grinning.
Moments later, she began conjugating...
"Voy, va, vas, vamos, van." The phone rang and she chuckled.
The next morning, Robyn piled herself and her luggage into her cute little Pontiac, kept a map handy on the console, and began her little road trip.
Summer had begun, and Robyn was heading back home. Her first year of college had gone off without a hitch, and she was ready to skedaddle for a while. She was only going home for three weeks, so she could see her family and friends again, and then she would go back to California so she could start working for a small graphic arts company.
It was too expensive to fly, plus she hated planes, so Robyn was driving from Cali. to Illinois, not that hard of a trip, really, and she knew the way rather well. It would take a few days, but while she went she was going to do a little sight-seeing. She was going to pick up Lindsey and Katrin, and they were going for a little summer trip. Where, she didn't know, but they had been planning for a while, and she would see them today.
Basically, the only plans they had so far consisted of getting together and running around helter-skelter, going places they hadn't been yet. They'd even thought of going out of the country on a spur of the moment; it'd be hell getting tickets, but knowing Katrin, they could get tickets anywhere in the blink of an eye.
Katrin's family was filthy-stinking rich, so any funds they needed were taken care of, and she had a lot of prominent connections; so with the snap of her slender fingers, they'd be flying first-class anywhere they wished. Katrin, having been brought up with many of the finer things in life, was pampered and sometimes a bit snobbish, but she was also a kind and gentle girl. She was pretty cautious, although she followed Robyn and Lindsey's grand schemes without complaint, usually having the best time of them all.
Lindsey had popped up out of nowhere in Katrin's life, attending the same all-girl school and turning the place into a madhouse. She'd moved from some obscure town in Ohio, and shot into town with a wild-streak the length of the Mississippi River. She had only attended Katrin's school on a special invitation, and nearly got kicked out until Katrin's family stepped in and offered to pay for her schooling. Lindsey's wild streak had cooled as the two teenagers became friends.
Robyn's life was a little more ordinary, aside from a few special things. She was a bit older than both of them, went to a public school all her life, and met Katrin and Lindsey by chance in a Suncoast store. She'd been going through some of her favorite titles of anime, when she'd knocked over a slight girl with long black hair.
Immediately apologizing, she helped the girl up and they began discussing favorites in the beloved genre of anime.
"Name's Robyn," she said, grinning ear to ear.
"I'm Katrin." Katrin's voice had been polite, and kind of formal. "It's a pleasure."
Moments letter, a tall, slender redhead had popped up and begun dragging Robyn out of the store, excited over something she'd found in another store.
Then, the redhead had stopped and turned around to stare Robyn in the eyes. Katrin must have noticed something too, because she was giving off the same intent aura. Robyn had smiled knowingly and walked out of the store, knowing they would follow.
In the food court, she selected a secluded booth, and sat down. They sat down across from her, puzzled expressions crossing their faces.
"You feel it too, eh?" Robyn asked as she leaned back. "I know it feels weird. It always does when you realize the feeling's there. I'm Robyn."
"Lindsey. What feeling?" Lindsey's eyes, which were a clear blue, were narrowed a bit in distrust.
"The feeling of completion, of a circle formed," Robyn, who was a blonde, said cryptically. "Nothing is accidental. Our meeting was meant to be." As if to prove her point, she lay down a card that had appeared in her hand. It wasn't a tarot card or anything. It had a field of black surrounded by twisted green Celtic knots.
"What are you, a witch?" Lindsey asked skeptically.
"No. I wouldn't say that. The term witch sounds so... cruel- outdated if you will."
Katrin picked up the card and stared at the black field of the card. "What's this supposed to mean?" She cried out as she felt a definite jolt of something, power, course through her and she dropped the card back down. It was smoking a little.
"It means that everything is right." Robyn smiled.
Amazed by the card, Lindsey had picked it up as well, as if spellbound, and received the same jolt. She too dropped it, and it lay smoldering on the table. The Celtic knots glowed a bright green before fading softly as Robyn picked it up and banished it from sight.
"Does it feel right to you?" she asked softly, her gray eyes twinkling with mischief. "Do you feel as though we are complete?"
They had, and the instant friendship amazed the two skeptics, who couldn't seem to get enough of powers newfound.
Katrin was discovered to be quite handy at conjuring, and she carried around a special little bag she had charmed herself, a bag that, on command, would give her anything she asked for. It had taken a long time to make the bag, as it was woven from fine shreds of silken material, and each little weave was done with a blessing to produce the desired effect. She could conjure many things, and as she called forth this special power, her brown eyes would blacken to pitch, and sparkle as though stars were inlaid in their depths.
Lindsey was good with charms and potions, and had a cute little travel pack she carried around. It was a small case that contained a hundred little corked bottles of different ingredients and some ready-to-use potions for emergencies. Her potions really didn't require any magic, but her magic was the knowledge of mixing the ingredients. She had a huge store of ingredients at Katrin's mansion, where they were well-hidden in a secret room. Lindsey's charms were quite efficient, all three girls having quite a few of them.
Robyn, as their teacher, knew how to do a fair amount of many things. But she was especially efficient when it came to the elements and foresight. Her connections with fire, water, earth, air, and life made her quite a dangerous little sorceress, as she was able to bring the five up at will. And her foresight was dangerous as well; she couldn't stand seeing the future, so she stored all that power in one of three cards, like the one she had set down before Katrin and Lindsey. She meditated frequently, or as she put it, she zoned and her telepathy, though one-way, was strong with her two friends.
They weren't Wicca, although they did fully support that religious group. No, they were something entirely different, something that did not require a name. Neither did it require any sorts of prayers or spells to really bring about their power. Their magic did not require words, but feelings inside, innate beauties that gave them a connection. Though they did use potions and charms, the powers of said objects were brought forth through their innate power.
Robyn drove and drove, singing along with the radio, and finally hit a small town called Stockton about noon. She, Lindsey, and Katrin were meeting in a smaller town near it called Sutter Creek. They would tour the shops for a while and then head out. She drove on through the winding streets, hit country, and then finally came upon the tourist town.
She saw the two girls' rental car immediately, sensing their presence as she drove past and angled into a parking spot. She saw Lindsey's familiar red head through a small crowd that had gathered at a shop window.
"Lin!" she called out as she pulled her stiff body from the driver's seat. She was tackled in a hug when she stepped onto the sidewalk. "Oof!" she cried as two sets of arm wound around her waist and she grinned as she hugged her "sisters" back.
"Robyn, you've got to come see this! I just know you're going to love it!" Katrin squealed and began dragging the blonde to the crowded window.
"Not that you're not obsessed already, and you really don't need to see this, we figured you'd find out sooner or later anyway," Lin said dryly as she jogged to keep up. Katrin sawed the crown in half and practically threw Robyn, or Robyn as she liked to call her, against the window.
"What are you- OOH!" Robyn squealed as she took in the sight of a beautiful sword resting peacefully against green silk. "It looks like Sage's no- datchi from Ronin Warriors!" Her gray eyes were huge as she took in the details. "It looks exactly like it..." She whipped around and jumped towards the door, but the big glaring, CLOSED sign meanly turned her away. "Opens at 1:00. Oooooh!! We have to go in when it opens!"
"Yep, we figured you'd act that way," Katrin said, rolling her eyes. "We shouldn't have showed it to her, Lin."
"Yeah, I know," Lin said, "But you know she would have seen it regardless."
Robyn was talking to some of the other on-lookers.
"Yeah, I've been waiting and waiting for this sword to come in," one guy told her. "It's supposed to be practically ancient and worth a fortune. This guy is selling it real cheap, I heard, and I'd give my life to buy it." He attempted a charming smile on Robyn. "I'm and avid collector, myself. I have hundreds of antique swords. Maybe I could show you my collection sometime." He waggled an eyebrow at her, not seeming to realize she was now completely ignoring her.
"If the guy's smart, he'll only sell to someone worthy," Robyn said cryptically to her sisters. "I have-"
"- a feeling?" the two girls finished simultaneously.
"Exactly!" Robyn said, grinning.
"You always have a feeling where that show's concerned," Lin said, rolling her eyes.
"I can't see how you can stand that show," Katrin said, in a bit of an uppity voice. "It's so old! It's boring!"
"Hey! You don't hear me slamming Yu-Gi-Oh or Yu-Yu What's-it's-oh, do ya?" Robyn said huffily, crossing her arms over her chest.
"That's because you like those shows!" Katrin cried.
"Oh... yeah..."
If there was one rift between the sisters it was this. Normally they had no problem liking one another's taste in anime, but when it came to Ronin Warriors, they just could not understand why Robyn was so obsessed with the show. Robyn always said it was because she had a taste for classics. And they always retorted that Ronin Warriors wasn't a classic, it was a trash- ic.
"Well, you can at least admit that the guys in it are hot, can't you?" she pleaded.
"We'll give you that," Lin grudgingly replied.
"And their weapons are cool."
"Kinda," Lin agreed again.
"And the white tiger is pretty," Robyn said as a clincher, playing on Katrin's weak spot, which was anything considering white tigers.
"Now that's a reason!" the brunette said with finality.
"So it means we can go in and attempt to wheedle a deal with the shop- keeper?"
"We didn't say that!" the two younger girls cried in unison, marching away.
"PLEASE!" she squeaked, bursting into a load of crocodile tears, ones even her sisters couldn't ignore. They turned back to her, and groaning, gave into the inevitable, not wanting to cause a scene. Though she was the oldest, Robyn was quite bratty, and knew when and what buttons to push. She was a constant manipulator and quite a schemer, and had an insane sense of humor, overlying a seriousness few people saw.
"Okay! Okay! Cut it out already!" Lin said, and leaned against the wall of the collectors' store. "We'll go in."
"Thank you!" Robyn grinned and hugged both her sisters, then began to impatiently wait for the door to open. They only had a few more minutes, and quite a few people had been drawn into the crowd. They were all there for the sword; some were dressed in suits, obviously dealers in antiques, and others were obviously just wanting to get a glimpse of the sword. Robyn, wanting to know of the sword's importance to them, pumped for information.
She got the best information from a very expensively dressed woman, who radiated elegance and a business-head.
"It was originally in Japan, owned by the store owner's family," she said evenly, eyeing Robyn's exuberance with a kind of detached exuberance. Silly girl, she thought. "It came over the market's eyes by chance, when the owner decided to sell it. There is no other sword like it, and has only been known to my company and many others for a short while." Her cool eyes swept over Robyn's casual jeans and t-shirt. "You're not planning on dibbing on it, are you?"
"I was thinking on it."
"Silly of you to think it really. My company will get the sword. We'll offer any price he asks, and can easily top any price any of these people can offer," she elegantly motioned towards the crowd.
"Really," Robyn said, as though awed. "Happy bidding then," she said with a fake cheerfulness. Annoyed, she stepped back to her friends and relayed the info.
"She's snobbier than you, Trina," she muttered. Katrin took this as a compliment, since she hated being referred to as a snob, and whipped out her credit card.
"In that case, I'll just have to buy that sword! See how high she can really go," Katrin said, waving around the card that flashed off her family's company name.
"I don't think that will be necessary," Robyn said, her eyes glazing over a bit as she stared at a card that she had conjured. "We don't have to go as high as you think. The shop-keeper is quite wise."
The card she was looking at showed her the current thoughts and feelings of whomever she wished. It was one of her innate powers she had stored in the cards so she could control them. It showed a field of black and twisted Celtic knots, but the knots on this one were red. The knots of green on the card she used before Lin and Katrin stored her power of foresight, and a third card, with blue, would show her a person's past.
"He will sell to the one who deserves the sword, for even the smallest amount of money," she said softly, pocketing the card.
"Did you see who it was?" Lin asked, curious. "No, since I did not call the Green."
Feeling silly that she had not thought of that, Lin continued. "Hopefully it's you. You'd worship that thing as a Wicca would the Goddess."
"Even still," Robyn said, "I do not know that it will be me. I would like to touch to sword so I know its intent. I believe the keeper is going by the sword's wishes."
"Robyn, it's a sword," Katrin reminded her gently. "Not a living, breathing thing."
"You have doubt?" Robyn asked, raising an eyebrow in humor. "This coming from you, of all people? Should I cast you as a hypocrite?"
"Stuff it, Bird," Katrin grumbled, silently taking Robyn's point.
Finally the sign was flipped over, and the shop keeper, a well aged old man, obviously a native Japanese, opened the door to let in the would-be patrons of his store. He bowed to each and every one of them as they passed, although Robyn, Katrin, and Lin were the only to return the respects.
"Welcome to my store," he said in his kind old voice, straightening from his bow the same time the girls. "I assume that you, as are all my guests, are here to see the sword?"
"Yes sir," Robyn said, smiling. "If only to touch it, at least. Just that much would make me pleased as punch."
He laughed and led them to the window display, where everybody was crammed.
"Follow me then. I can grant that simple wish to beautiful young girls." Like the Red Sea did for Moses, the crowed parted and allowed him to step to the window. He lifted the sword from its stand and carefully carried it to the three girls. It amazed him that he accomplished such a thing, since the sword was almost as long as he was tall. He bowed as he held it before Robyn, who reached forward to run her hands along the blade.
The instant her finger tips grazed the blade, her gray eyes lightened and she smiled politely as he straightened once again. He gazed into her eyes for a moment and offered the same honor to Lin and Katrin. Fascinated, the girls took the chance. They just smiled a bit, not having the amazing vision their teacher and sister possessed.
"I believe the sword is yours, young friend," he said to Robyn, and bowed once more, offering the huge sword up to her. Awed with the honor, she bowed and took up the sword, gazing at it with the affection a mother would show a child.
"What?!" the other patrons cried in anger and disbelief as they surged forward to surround them. Robyn, ever confident and not fearing a mob in the least, simply held the sword in reverent hands and carried her chin high, daring them to question the old man's choice for a buyer.
The angry group raged against the old mans decision for a full twenty minutes before he threatened to call the police.
"By law, he stated firmly, I own that sword, and I will give it to whomever I please at whatever price I wish. Is it not in my rights to choose whom the sword goes to? money is not an issue. Now I ask that you leave my store and do not question my decision." Robyn, smirking, sent out a small shockwave of her mental power and ordered, rather loudly, for them to leave, the order echoing through their heads as they were pushed from the shop.
"Now that this mess is taken care of, I would have a word with you girls in my back room. Follow me."
In his office, he lit some incense and proceeded to tell them of the sword's history.
"It came to my family quite abruptly," he said in his slow time-beaten way. "Many years ago, it appeared to my ancestor, who took it up, but he was never allowed to use it against anyone. The sword would not permit it."
Robyn caressed the hilt with awe as she listened.
"The soul of the sword did not wish to be used by any hand but its own master's. It spoke to my ancestor, and told him that he must help the sword return to its master, across worlds. It told him that his family would one day find the person who could travel across worlds.
"You can never use it, but the sword has chosen you. It spoke to you when you touched it, didn't it. It showed you the other world."
"Yes," Robyn said softly.
"And because you are that person, I will not charge you for this sword. There is no price, but honor and respect, that can cover this cost of this sword." He cast his gaze on Katrin and Lin. "And you two. You will go with her. A circle should not be broken."
"Why did the sword choose me?" Robyn asked after they had absorbed this for a moment.
"I do not know that. Maybe it is the power you three hold, or maybe it is for an entirely different reason than that. However, it was meant to be. There are no accidents." He stood from his desk and retreated into the main room of the shop.
They followed slowly and allowed the man to wrap the sword in silk and tissue paper, and then he slid it into a giant case.
"Feel free to look around. I am still a business man, and I can never pass up the possibility of a sale," he said humorously as he packaged the sword.
Laughing brightly, Robyn drug Lin and Katrin around the shelves of merchandise.
"You knew, didn't you?" Lin accused.
"No, actually I didn't," Robyn said softly as she peered into a display of ornate pendants.
"Not even a feeling?" Katrin said snidely. "Yeah right. You got a vibe, didn't you. And that stuff about another world. It's true, isn't it." It was a statement, not a question, but Robyn nodded anyway.
"Yes. I felt the sword's soul when I touched it. 'Sides my obsession with the Ronin Warriors, I just had to touch the sword."
"What did you see in the other world?" Lin asked as she picked up a small dagger.
"Not much, really. A field of grass, heavy clouds, strong wind. Nothing that rings a bell to me." She selected a beautiful jade pendant, one carved to look like a koi-fish, and grinned at its happy face.
"So it's not a stupid Ronin setting," Katrin said. "Good. Then it's similarity to whaz-is-face's sword just coincidental, and we're not going to get stuck in that world."
Robyn made a face and picked up the little box that went with the goldfish and decided to buy it. "Unfortunately, we won't. I think it would be cool. But it's just a series, after all." She looked sad as she moved through the rest of the store.
They went to the cash register and paid for their things. Lin bought the small dagger she had eyed earlier, Katrin bought a lovely jeweled comb, and Robyn got the koifish pendant. Robyn picked up the case that held the sword and bade the old man a fond farewell and put a charm of blessings on his store.
"The sword will protect you," the old man said softly. "In the hands of its master, it will watch over you three. Its master's companions will do the same. Be wary of the evils you will face." They had just stepped out the door when he whispered this to them, and they barely caught it.
Evils? What had he meant by that? They assumed they would go to the other world, return the sword and be done with it. What evils had he spoken of?
"That was kind of freaky, you have to admit," Lin said. "Normally I would be like 'Hoo-rah! Yes! Adventure!' I don't know about this. It seems..."
"Foreboding?" Katrin suggested as they piled their stuff into the trunk of Robyn's Pontiac.
"Yeah, I was kind of surprised at you, Lin. I'd have thought your wild streak would be screaming for this chance at adventure," Robyn said, still grinning. She seemed a bit impervious to the serious nature of the situation. But Lin's wild side had calmed a bit more than anyone realized. She was still reckless, but the feeling of real danger ahead was chilling her to the bone.
"I'm surprised you don't feel the same as I do, oh wise teacher," Lin said somewhat sarcastically. They were transferring baggage from Lin's rental to Robyn's Pontiac in preparation for their journey. The rental company would pick their car up where it was, so they weren't worried about it.
"And we really need time to prepare to travel there," Katrin said timidly. "We need to meditate and cleanse and-"
"And knowing our luck," Lin interrupted, "though good, we won't have time to do that. All I want to know is when this is going to happen."
"I can't tell you that," Robyn said as she climbed into the car. Lin sat in the passenger seat, and Katrin was in back.
"Why don't you look then?" Lin whined impatiently.
"And ruin the thought of a surprise?! No way!" Laughing, Robyn started the engine and pulled out of her parking spot.
It never occurred to them that they had not stopped at any of the other shops as planned, nor had they given them any thought once they were in the old man's store. It seemed as though only one purpose had been evident to them.
And as they drove along, it never occurred to them that things would happen sooner than planned. Heck, even when they were sucked into a sudden void, it barely registered in their minds as the car was pulled through a sort of black tunnel.
A scream let loose from Katrin's lips as they came to a sudden screeching halt in a field of grass, and dirt and plant-life burst from under the tires as Robyn hit the brakes. The sky on the horizon was dark and ominous, and a strong gust of wind practically rattled the windows of the car. Their hearts raced and their breaths came in short, fast spurts as they clung to the edges of their seats.
"That was fun," Robyn said to lighten the mood, resulting in a bruise on her shoulder, courtesy of Lin's fist. Rubbing her shoulder, she glanced up into her mirror, and her eyes widened a bit. "You know chiquitas, it could be worse. We could be surrounded by a bunch of nether soldiers who look like Wizard of Oz rejects."
"Robyn, stop with the Ronin references!" Lin yelled. Her face was reddening to a curious shade of red.
"Well, since it's not worse, and you definitely won't even come close to liking the better scenario, I'll just not say anything, and let the better scenario fold out."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Lin snapped and turned around to get a look at the better scenario Robyn was rambling on about, and her face whitened.
Rather than Wizard of Oz rejects, they were surrounded by a veritable rainbow of men dressed in curiously fashioned armors.
"This has to be hell."
"For you!" Robyn squealed in delight.
As you can see, I didn't get very in depth in any of the characters' emotions. I plan to change that in future chapters, but this chapter isn't really about the introduction of characters' thoughts. Anywho, I hoped you enjoyed this and I would love it if you reviewed? Pretty, pretty please? With whipped cream and a cherry on top?
Soulful Gray